iSoOo Obituary, 235 



frnce, by dying according to his own magnanimous, yet hum- 

 ble wifh, exprefled in his farewel addrefs to the American 

 people, whilil his credit was nowife impaired, his fame in its 

 full fplendour, his relations and friends not only in a ftate of 

 fecurity, but of comfort and honour, he was to efcape the 

 unforefeen evils of futurity, and the forrows of declining 

 years. His laft aft, relating to the councils of his nation, 

 was to coincide with the worthy afTociate of his youth, Mr 

 John Adams, and the other Members of the Council of State, 

 and of the Senate, in holding forth and looking for the return 

 of peace, not billowing falfe pride and rcfentment to coun- 

 teraft the duties ef a Patriot and a Chriftian, and the return 

 of the deftruftive fword of war into the fcabbard. This fen- 

 timent and expreffion, we tranfcribe from one of his letters 

 to a Noble Lord in this country ; and a pafTage from another, 

 vVritten 2 2d April 1793, when moderation was leaft to be ex- 

 pefted, is worthy of the higheft approbation : " To be little 

 heard of in the great world of politics, in the words of your 

 Lordfhip's letter, are expreflive of my fentiments ; and 1 be- 

 lieve it is the fincere wifh of United America, to have no- 

 thing to do with the political intrigues, or the fquabbles of 

 European nations ; but, on the contrary, to exchange com- 

 modities, and live in peace and amity with all the inhabitants 

 of the earth. " And again, that great and good man, when 

 he put the laft hand to the Federal Union, exprefTed himfelf 

 thus : " The foundations of national policy muil be laid in 

 the pure and immutable principles of private morality ; fince 

 there is no truth more thoroughly eft:iblilhed, than that there 

 exilts, in the economy and courfe of nature, an indiffoluble 

 Union between virtue and happinefs, between duty and advan- 

 tage, between the genuine maxims of an honed and magna- 

 nimous people, and the folid rewards of public profperity and 

 felicity ; fince we ought to be no lefs perfuaded that the 

 propitious fmiles of Heaven can never be expedled on a na- 

 tion that difregards the eternal rules of order and right, which 

 Heaven itfelf has ordained ; and fince the prefervation of the 

 (acred fire of liberty, and the delt'ny of the RL'pgblican mo- 

 del of Government, are juftly confidered as deeply, yet per- 

 haps finally ftaked, in the experiment entruited to the hand of 

 the American people. " 



Thus far, regarding the public chara£ler of this illuftrious 

 man. As a private citizen and agriculturid, he was amiably 

 diiliiiguiihed in all their relations. Re held 800c acres in 



Z z his 



